1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a method for testing the optical connections of modules of a network element provided for an optical communication system.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Network elements of this type generally consist of a chassis in which, depending on the design and the intended application, a variety of modules can be inserted which are electrically connected with each other by way of a bus system located on the backside of the chassis, sometimes called the backplane. The optical connections between the individual modules are usually implemented via optical waveguides (optical fibers). Such a network element typically also includes a control module for receiving alarm messages from all modules and for transmitting control commands to specified individual modules via the backplane bus system.
Advantageously, the reliability of such a network element can be enhanced by adding auxiliary modules to certain types of modules which are susceptible to malfunction, and by connecting these auxiliary modules to the other modules via an optical cross-connect switch. To ensure that such a back-up connection employing the auxiliary modules operates properly in the event of a malfunction, the optical connections between all modules which are provided, as mentioned above, by individual optical waveguides, have to be known exactly.